David McLennan and Dugald Macdonald, together with David’s co-author, Chris Schoeman launched two rugby books last week.

David’s book (Lions in Africa 1891 – 2009) is said to be the first-ever to focus on all the matches plqyed by the Lions in the 130 years of contests in southern Africa and recounts famous victories, agonizing defeats and nail-biting draws. Filled with anecdotes, it is written in the typically easy-reading and thoroughly researched style that David and Chris have used in their previous productions.

John Dobson, OD and Western Province and Stormers rugby coach, describes Dugald’s book (Ja-Nee) as “by far the most entertaining and amusing South African rugby book ever written – both a moving memoir and an acerbic social commentary”. It is not just an insider’s account of what it means to be a young Springbok on the darkest day in South African rugby history – but an insightful and sometimes hilarious study of two very different cultures, filled with many anecdotes. Dugald played for UCT, Western Province, Parma in Italy, Oxford University, Stade Toulousain in France – and just one test for the Springboks when the team had a disastrous loss to the Lions on 22 June 1974, an event around which much of the book is written and from which many of Dugald’s commentaries and anecdotes arise.

Both books are available from David’s specialist book shop Select Books in Harfield Village, Cape Town  (email: [email protected]   or https://www.selectbooks.co.za/)